Die for collar folding machines



Aug. 24, 1937. H, c. UNDERWQQD r AL 2,090,710

DIE FOR COLLAR FOLDING MACHINES Fi led Oct. 5, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS fi/amrw 6. (dz nawd zgdzaazw B. 0&5/

27 22 \A'ITORNEY f 4,1937.- H. c. UNDERWOOD :rAL 2,090,710

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AITORNEY Patented Aug. 24, 1937 UNITED STATEE EATENT OFFICE DIE FOR COLLAR FOLDING MACHINES Howard C. Underwood and Edward B. Roby, New York, N. Y.

Application October 5, 1934, Serial No. 747,009

3 Claims. (Cl. 223-38) Among the principal objects which the present invention has in view arez-to fold the edges of a collar by utilization of male and female dies; to apply heat simultaneously during the folding As seen in the drawings the immediate purpose of the present invention is to provide mechanical means to fold the hem edges of collars for mens wear, and particularly the hem 5 operation; to utilize a machine with interchangedges of collars known as semi-soft collars 5 ing parts for various sizes and patterns of the which in use are permanently attached to shirts. article being manufactured; to be enabled to The blanks or shapes 20 from which the collars easily remove the article after the edges have are made are cut in accordance with any debeen folded to avoid necessity of any unfoldsired method in accordance with the design ing of the edges to remove the article; to utilize shown in Figure 6 of the drawings. These blanks 10 the folded edges as means assisting removal of or shapes 2!] are placed within the upper part the article from the female die; to secure simof a female die, that is, within opposed female plicity of construction and operation; and to positioning blocks 2!, 2| shaped to freely receive obtain other advantages and results as may be the same, these blocks being replaceable for othbrought out in the following description. ers of different shape to enable the machine to 15 In the drawings: operate upon different styles of collars. These Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine and blocks 2|, 2| are also adjustable toward and away having one edge turning mechanism thereon; from each other for enabling the same blocks Figure 2 is a plan view of the collar or blank to position any desired neck-band size of collar.

placed in the machine ready to be operated on, Below blocks 2|, 2| is the lower female or 20 the upper or plunger die being omitted for greatforming member 22 of the female die, the caver clarity; ity portion 23 of which is of appropriate con-' Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view shown tour or shape to correspond to the desired reas taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2, and showing sultant contour or shape desired for that part 25 the relative position of the plunger die in the of the blank after folding of the blank 20. The 25 preparatory stage of the operation ready forperfemale die cavity accordingly comprises a lower forming the first or upstanding fold of the one portion 23 smaller than the corresponding upedge of a collar; per portion or opening of the positioning blocks.

Figures 4 and 5 are similar views and show- In the construction of Figure l, the positioning ing other stages of the operation, Figure 4 showedges of the blocks 2! and the cavity of the 30 ing the upstanding fold performed by the plunger lower member 22 register with each other except die and Figure 5 showing the inturned fold by at one longitudinal edge, at which, by virtue of the sliding or folding die sections; the smaller size of the cavity, the die provides Figures 6 and '7 are plan views of the sliding therein on member 22 an upper shoulder 24 upon or folding die sections; which an edge of the blank will rest when first 35 Figure 8 is a plan view of the collar after it introduced into the positioning blocks as shown has been folded by and removed from the main Figure 3. It is this edge or margin of the chine; blank resting upon the shoulder 24 which is to Figure 9 is a perspective view of one corner be folded.

40 portion of the collar after completion of the ini- For effecting the first fold, an upper or plung- 40 tial or upstanding fold; er die 25 is provided of size and shape to sub- Figure 10 is a plan View of a machine simistantially overlie the length and breadth of the lar to Figure l and utilized to produce the end collar except for the longitudinal margin overfolds upon the article; lying said shoulder 24. Furthermore said plung- Figure 11 is a longitudinal sectional view shown er die 25 preferably substantially fits the cavity 45 as taken on line H-II of Figure 10 showing the 23 of the die member 22, and consequently by end folds completed; depressing the blank into the cavity as shown Figure 12 is a plan view of a collar and die in Figure 4, by said plunger die, the protruding before the end folds of the collar have been longitudinal margin of the blank bends upwardmade; and ly. This bending is herein referred to as the 50 Figures 13, 14, 15, and 16 show end portions of the article in stages of the folding operations being performed, thereon particularly illustrating the stages in folding the end edges of the article or collar.

first fold.

While the blank 29 is still within the cavity .23 of the forming die 2l -22, and yet under the holding influence of the depressed plunger die, sliding die sections 26, provided for that purpose are actuated inwardly of the cavity from over said shoulder 24, thereby performing a second fold upon the material of the blank. The margin is accordingly thus folded back upon the body portion of the blank to be later stitched and form a hem. In making this hem fold, a thin portion 2'! of the pressure or male die lying flatwise upon the body portion of the blank has its marginal edge beneath the turned-in margin of the blank. Consequently, as the plunger die is raised, the blank hangs on the same and is withdrawn with it from the female die. Furthermore, since the folding has been performed only at one longitudinal edge, the operator may very conveniently unhoo-k the blank from the upper die by a simple sliding movement of the blank.

In referring above to the folding of the longitudinal edge, we also include folding the tip at the opposite ends of said edge. This, is accomplished, "as will be readily appreciated from the above discussion, by shaping shoulder 24 to underlie the tip and by shaping the sliding sections 26 with angular end portions 28, diverging in relation to the direction of folding movement so as to provide corners which avoid interference with the tips in retracted position of the sliding die sections but which will advance to overlie the tips as the said sections are slid, as clearly indicated in Figures 6 and 7.

It will be further noted that as the fold lines of the tips converge toward the longitudinal folded edge of the blank, they form no hindrance to removal or unhooking of the blank from the upper die. While the folding of the tips has of necessity been described separately from the folding of the longitudinal edge from tip to tip, it will be appreciated that the folding of edge and tips is a single operation for effecting the upstanding fold and again a single operation for effecting the in-turned fold.

After removal of the blank 20, folded at its longitudinal edge and tips, said blank is acted upon in a second machine for bending the end edges of the collar into a hem fold. We prefer to perform this end folding in a separate machine, for the reason that the end edges converge in a direction away from the longitudinally folded edge, and therefore if folded at the same time as the longitudinal edge, would prevent removal of the blank from the die without partly unfolding the blank. Accordingly the blank is removed to the second machine of Figure 10 likewise equipped with female positioning blocks 2!, 2| having thereunder a female forming die 22' with cavity 23' for receiving the blank and effecting an upstanding end fold of an end margin overlying a shoulder 24' by depression of a plunger die 25" as shown in Figures 11 and 12. Thereafter, sliding sections 25', one at each end of the blank, are slid toward each other and bend the end margins of the blank inwardly over the thin portion 21 of the plunger die to be subse quently sewn to form the hems on those edges of the collar. Since there is a divergence of the folded margins, the folded blank, after withdrawal from the female die by hanging on the upper die, may be slid readily off of the latter without necessitating an unfolding of the blank.

During the performance of the above described operations of forming the longitudinal edge and end hems it is preferable that the folds remain intact after removing the blank 28 from the plunger dies and 25. To this end and simultaneously with the lowering of the plunger dies heat is applied to the blanks by virtue of heating the forming dies 22 and 22, the source of supplying the heat thereto not being shown, but fully described and clearly shown in Patent No. 1,600,364.

While the functions of the machines employed are deemed clear from the foregoing, the operating mechanism therefor are disclosed in prior Patent No. 1,600,364 to E. B. Roby one of the coinventors herein, to which patent cross-reference is here made. When the several operations are completed it will be noted that the hem edges will be disposed as seen in Figures 15 and 16 of the drawings. It also is to be noted that after the hem edges are folded and pressed by the machine, the article or collar is then delivered to a stitching machine when tape and hem stitches may then be applied in the usual manner, after which the collar is then permanently attached to a shirt.

We claim:

1. A machine as characterized comprising in combination, a fixed female having a stepped cavity, an upper die having a thin portion adapted to be introduced fiatwise into said cavity, and means slidable laterally into the cavity of the female die entirely above the level of said thin portion for turning the margin of a blank over at least one edge of the thin portion of the upper die with the die in said cavity, said blank thereafter being free to slide from said thin portion upon separation of said dies.

2. A machine as characterized comprising in combination, a fixed female die having a stepped cavity, an upper die having a thin portion adapted to be introduced fiatwise into said cavity, and sliding die sections slidable. laterally into the cavity of the female die entirely above the level of said thin portion for turning the margin of a blank over at least one edge of the thin portion of the upper die with the die in said lower portion in said cavity and free to slide from said thin portion upon separation of said dies.

3. A machine as characterized comprising in combination, a fixed female die having a stepped cavity, an upper die having a thin portion adapted to be introduced fiatwisc into the lower portion of said cavity, and sliding die sections slidable laterally into the cavity of the female die entirely above the level of said thin portion for turning the margin of a blank over at least one edge of the thin portion of the upper die with the die in said lower portion of said cavity and free to slide from said thin portion upon separation of said dies, and said sliding die sections being provided with angular end portions whereby during operation of folding the longitudinal edges of the blank corner tips to the blank will be accomplished.

H. C. UNDERWOOD. EDWARD B. ROBY. 

